An interview with
Glen Velez
The Habits of Healing and Devotion, and the Feminism in Rhythm
Four-time Grammy Award-winner, Glen Velez, is legendary figure in the modern frame drum movement, revered worldwide by musicians and audiences alike. His pioneering influence reshaped contemporary music, introducing a new genre of drumming inspired by years of percussion and frame drumming studies across diverse cultures.
In this episode, Glen shares his captivating journey with host Eugene Friesen, unfolding his virtuosic combinations of hand movements, finger techniques, and original compositional style. Learn about his innovative approach, incorporating stepping, drum language, and Central Asian overtone singing.
Eugene and Glen delve into rhythmic revelations, exploring the transformative power of vocalizations, the spiritual dimensions of music as devotion, and the harmonic magic uncovered by slowing down rhythms. The episode also spotlights the nuanced interplay of frame drums, guided by Glen's pioneering techniques.
Four-time Grammy Award-winner Glen Velez is the founding father of the modern frame drum movement and is regarded as a legendary figure among musicians and audiences world-wide. Velez brought a new genre of drumming to the contemporary music scene by creating his own performance style inspired by years of percussion and frame drumming studies from various cultures.
Velez’s virtuosic combinations of hand movements, finger techniques, along with his original compositional style, which incorporates stepping, drum language and Central Asian overtone singing (split-tone singing), has opened new possibilities for musicians around the globe, resulting in a shift in modern percussion.